Desperation

                      Desperation

 

Every day, I hang tenaciously on to myself,

      crowding my work and home around me

      for protection " fingers in the dam.

 

Every night, I fight alone in the excruciating

      silence, the empty darkness, leaking

      some of me first here. . . then there. . .

      afraid of the weaknesses in myself that

      are appearing too often, in too many places.

 

The lonliness is undermining my substructure.

      Daily, I feel the elements of life bashing

      against me.  Nightly, they mercilessly

      abuse my battered, tired spirit.

 

Staying strong alone each day is harsh enough.

      Staying strong alone and so utterly

      lonely each night is absolutely destroying me.

 

-Jo-

February 23, 198

Rome, NY

Reviews

[Mark]

Great to finally see you here. This is the first of your pieces I've read, and I'm looking forward to seeing more soon.
The human condition of feeling isolated is one of the most cherished and time-honored of poetry material. I think you have handled it witrh great beauty here. Of course I am reminded of the Simon and Garfunkle song, where the answer to isolation is MORE isolation, alone in the room, reading your already oft-read books, talking to a piece of paper, instead of another human. Our inescapable paradox, it seems...